A $550 million plan to build a new power plant in Bridgeport, a $38 million federal grant to handle flood mitigation and plans for housing at the billon-dollar Steelpointe Harbor development each date back years before Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim took office Dec. 1 for his second run as the city’s top elected official.
But each of those projects has come to some level of fruition during Ganim’s first 100 days back in office, giving the mayor freedom to take credit for their revitalizing effects on Bridgeport at Thursday’s annual address to the local business community.
“We are on the path to a better and more sustainable future,” Ganim said.
Among the highlights of Ganim’s speech was the unveiling of a plan to build 250 apartments on the southwest portion of Steelpointe Harbor, on the former United Illuminating power plant site closest to downtown. The housing is planned for upper floors over ground-level retail, with Ganim saying construction could begin this year.
The power plant, a 485-megawatt facility that would replace the last coal-fired plant in the state sitting on the same property, represents “possibly the largest private investment in Bridgeport history,” Ganim said. Similarly, he called the federal grant that will be used to improve shoreline infrastructure and potentially pave the way for South End redevelopment projects “probably the largest single federal grant the city has seen.”
Maybe the biggest applause came when the mayor said he would take on a major downtown hassle: “We are finally going to bring the latest technology to our parking meters,” Ganim said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Groton will ask the state for $141 million for new school construction
Groton — The town group in charge of planning the future of Groton's schools agreed Thursday to ask the state for $141 million to build one new middle school and two new elementary schools.
If the state agrees, the construction projects would cost Groton taxpayers $55 million, with the state picking up about 72 percent of the total cost of $195.6 million, based on construction estimates updated this week for the School Facilities Initiative Task Force.
Task force member Craig Koehler said there's no need to complicate it for taxpayers. "This is about as good a deal as we're going to get," he said.
State Rep. John Scott said he met last week with state Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Melody A. Currey, Groton Superintendent Michael Graner, town Manager Mark Oefinger and members of the school design committee to discuss the project.
The commissioner and state staff understood Groton's situation, including its longstanding struggle to maintain racial balance and repeated redistricting of students, Graner said.
Despite the high amount requested and the state's budget crisis, Scott said administrative services were sympathetic of the town.
"We do have a really unique story to tell. We have been chronically in trouble with the state with the racial balancing for many years," Scott said.
"The town needs to spend $55 million just to put Band-Aids on the existing buildings, and that won't solve any of our problems with the racial imbalance or consolidation or the consolidation of staffing in the two middle schools," he said. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
Plainville Residents Hear Tilcon's Quarry Expansion Plan
PLAINVILLE — Questions about quarry expansion, its effects on groundwater, loss of watershed and disturbance of trap rock habitats dominated a two-hour session Thursday called by quarry owner Tilcon to tell people about its plans to expand its Black Rock Avenue mining operation.
The session was the second of two that Tilcon Connecticut officials had with people in areas that could be affected by the expansion, which requires state legislative approval to proceed.
Tilcon Connecticut wants state permission to excavate 131 acres of watershed land that is located in Plainville but owned by New Britain. The watershed is for Shuttle Meadow Reservoir, which lies in New Britain and Southington.
The meeting Thursday drew about 50 people to Plainville town hall, fewer than the crowd that turned out for an earlier meeting in New Britain. Both sessions were called to give Tilcon a chance to discuss its proposal. "The next step is the state legislature," Gary Wall, Tilcon Connecticut president, said after the session. The legislature's public health committee has a hearing at 1 p.m. March 7 in Room 1-D of the state Legislative Office Building on various bills, including one to let Tilcon lease mineral rights for the 131 acres.If granted, New Britain would get lease payments of a still-undetermined amount for 40 years, Tilcon would be able to move mining operations farther from the homes near its present quarry, and the company would give land to the three communities.
At the meeting Thursday night, Town Manager Robert Lee said he thinks the proposal would be a good move for the town. It would permit Tilcon to mine trap rock on land farther south from local homes, which would minimize the effects of blasting done to shatter the volcanic basalt before it can be quarried. CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
BURNS & McDONNELL RANKED 16th BEST PLACE TO WORK IN THE COUNTRY
Wallingford, Conn. (March 3, 2016) - For the sixth year, Burns & McDonnell is gaining national recognition for its exemplary corporate culture. After judges spent months reviewing employee surveys from America's most sought-after companies, Fortune magazine ranked Burns & McDonnell No. 16 on the 2016 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® List. Nineteen years ago, Fortune began cultivating this annual list to showcase companies that have exceptional workplace cultures.
"This year's ranking is particularly meaningful to us because it comes during a time of intense industry challenges," says Greg Graves, Burns & McDonnell chairman and CEO. "Plummeting oil prices have brought significant disruption to our clients. Our 118-year business model of having diverse industry sectors, however, is helping us weather the storm. We were able to transition employee-owners who typically work on oil and gas projects into food and consumer products or aviation - or other industries that are now benefiting from low gas prices. This is just one example of how we continue to look for strategies that are not just good for business, but good for each other."
"Those dimensions of what makes a company a great place to work are also key characteristics of employee ownership," Graves says. "Being a 100 percent employee-owned company empowers us all to act as owners - from how we work with clients to how we do our expenses. We find that accountability to ourselves and each other amplifies everything we do, from our creativity to a project to our commitments to our clients. To us, these are defining elements of being a best place to work." CLICK TITLE TO CONTINUE
MIDDLETOWN — FedEx Ground has purchased the Aetna property on Middle Street for $18 million for use as a distribution hub.City officials have been awaiting the purchase as a sign that FedEx Ground has selected Middletown for a new distribution hub.
FedEx Ground received several approvals last year, including variances from the zoning board of appeals and a special exception permit from the planning and zoning commission, but company officials told the city they could not fully commit to building the facility until after all approvals were granted. The transfer was recorded Wednesday in the city clerk's office. The sale generated a $90,000 conveyance fee for the city and $135,000 for the state.
Mayor Daniel Drew said the city is continuing to work with the company, but said he could not comment on whether FedEx Ground has made an official commitment to build in Middletown.
"We expect to be communicating further with the public about that property and FedEx Ground later this month," Drew said.FedEx Ground received several approvals last year, including variances from the zoning board of appeals and a special exception permit from the planning and zoning commission, but company officials told the city they could not fully commit to building the facility until after all approvals were granted. The transfer was recorded Wednesday in the city clerk's office. The sale generated a $90,000 conveyance fee for the city and $135,000 for the state.